Adrian Wojnarowski of
Yahoo! Sports reported Sunday that Cheeks was fired this morning by Pistons
president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, after owner Tom Gores grew
impatient with his coach and began pushing for a change.

The Pistons confirmed the firing in a statement Sunday afternoon. Gores cited a lack of progress and said "our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need a change."

Cheeks was fired after two straight home victories. The Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 126-109 Saturday night at The Palace, giving them a 21-29 record this season.

Cheeks, who had previous head coaching jobs in Portland and
Philadelphia, has alienated several players this year. They include Josh Smith,
who was signed to a $54-million free agent contract last summer; star center
Andre Drummond; and reserve point guard Will Bynum.